MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources has confirmed round gobies have been found in the lower Fox River. DNR officials said that the fish were caught immediately below the Neenah dam. A DNR spokeswoman said one was caught on Monday and two more on Tuesday. The aggressive, bottom-dwelling fish are native to the Black and Caspian seas of Eurasia. They range from 3 inches to 6 inches long but feed voraciously and aggressively defend spawning sites. They first appeared in the Great Lakes in 1990. Fisheries experts believe they arrived in ballast water discharged by transoceanic ships. They’re considered an invasive species. The Fox River Navigational Authority has closed the Menasha lock in hopes of preventing the gobies from spreading upstream.
